Contemporary Conformist [Part 1] [Part 2] [Coffee]

Artisinal. Artisan. Made by Hand. Locally Crafted. ‘Made in [small town nearby that has cultural value].’

In order to understand the Contemporary Conformist, we must understand ‘artisan.’

Art. + Isan.

WTF is artisan?

-made by a skilled person
-an ‘applied art‘, which means consumerfiable industry that has ‘brandable artsy-ness’ that can be identified by non-avant-garde audiences [via simple ppl]
-‘high-quality‘ means that you can rationalize paying more 4 it
–distinctive product helps Contemporary Conformists feel more ‘unique’
–small quantities = the more limited the batch, the more #rare it is
–‘by hand’ means that it was not mass produced.It was created [via labor of love’ by a skilled person who may be part of the Contemporary Conformist community.
–traditional methods mean there are ‘ties to the past’, before technology, before scaled industries, before megabrands artisanally enslaving the Third World.

Contemporary Conformists want everything to be Artisanal.

Coffee. Cocktails. Beer. Textile Industries. Food. Cheese. Wine. Technology. The Cloud. Macbooks. iPhones. iPhone cases. Fashion. Televisions. Pork Belly. War. Public Events. The Internet. Website Design. eCommerce stores. Newspapers. Magazine Covers. Caps.

The Contemporary Conformist pushes for the Artisanification of Every Industry.

Any business with an ‘artisan aesthetic’ appeals to the Contemporary Conformist. However, contemporary Conformists ‘really get off’ to (inter)national brands stealing ‘their’ aesthetic. They enjoy the discourse as their Contemporary Conformist brand/aesthetic scales to mass markets.

An artisan is something made by a person who makes artsy things that are ‘beyond a craft’ that they create an ‘economic moment’ where that thing can be rare/unique/limited, therefore ‘charge a price’ that warrants the perpetuation of the art/product/industry. You can artisanify everything.

A Contemporary Conformist is a ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to art/design, therefor they view everything they create as artisanal. If they made dinner and microplaned some parmesan on top of it, it was an artisanal event. If they put something in the over, it was artisanal. Everything that Contemporary Conformists make at home is artisanal, even if they just put something away in a baggie.

Make.
Everything.
Look.
Artisan.
As.
Fuck.

Contemporary Conformists see everything they do as artisanal, and want everything they consume/buy/ingest/style their homes with/talk about with every one to seem ‘artisanal.’

Artisan/Local means there is more process. More love. More ways to build the local Contemporary Conformist community. Are you supporting our community or not? Get on fucking #teamCC or get the fuck out.

Leather: It’s Like Wearable Wood for Contemporary Conformists

A leather good made from a ‘local vendor’ can help a Contemporary Conformist feel like they are WEARING a farm to table good.

‘I just want some leather. Some naturalism on me. It works well with all contemporary conformist looks.’

I’m not entirely sure where leather comes from, but from what I understand, it is murdering a cow that you would eat in a Modern American cuisine slider [via the local farm-2-table restaurant]. Like an ‘Indian’ who was displaced from the 13 colonies/was un-invited to Thanksgiving, you are just trying to use ‘all of the animal.’ Therefore, you can style some leather that is ‘aged’ [via artisanal process] and then ‘cut’ with special tools [via artisanal process] and then shaped/burned/branded [via artisanal process].

You don’t just want a velcro 90s wallet. You want leather goods. They look good against aged wood, exposed brick, zany light fixtures.

These are your rustic vibes.

Get Rid of the Stuff.
Be More Simple.
Buy a leather wallet.
Clean up your life.
Be more functional.
(You could also just use a sandwich baggy.)

Our bud Monte, owner of @mellowmushroom, showing fine character on his Natural Mulberry Wallet & Standard Belt.

A photo posted by Bell & Oak (@bellandoak) on Mar 12, 2015 at 2:15pm PDT

I just want my leather goods to provide the perfect ‘pop of naturalism’ [via pop of color] to complement my Contemporary Conformist wardrobe.

An economy of artisans is the Perfect Economy / fulfilling identity for Contemporary Conformists

I just want to work
In a workshop
I think I’d be happy there
Making something with my hands
Being an artisan
Part of our local artisan-wave community

I’d be an artist
i’d also be making a living
I’d be a cog in our Contemporary Conformist machine
Making history
Establishing the Contemporary Aesthetic of Forever.
It’s nice to live in our 3rd/4th tier American city.
Not too cluttered.

Hold up–might jot this down in my artisan notepad.

A photo posted by Bell & Oak (@bellandoak) on Feb 16, 2015 at 2:17pm PST

//The Contemporary Conformist diaries//////////////
by Contemporary Conformist Wheelie Bro

Just want an artisan shop for everything
An Artisan ‘Everything Store’, maybe
ArtisanMart
Where we can buy everything artisan, imported from global artisan economies
of people like me/you
Some1 tell Sam Walton. I’m sure there’s some great Contemporary Conformity in Arkansas

We are Contemporary Conformists

A Contemporary Conformist wants to walk over from their factory-converted lots/newly renovated home-apartment in a historical section of town to get artisanal coffee. They want an artisanal egg from an artisanal farm with a side of artisanal avocado toast served on artisanal Ezekiel bread for breakfast. They want an artisanal small plate lunch from an artisanal food truck while taking a break from their Contemporary Conformist job that allows them/office-pressure-forces them to wear artisanal Business_Contemporary-Conformist-Casual to work.

I wish J.Crew would do more Contemporary Conformist collaborations
Allowing the high-artisanal values of my fave artisanal retailers to scale to mass audiences.

///The boutique created artisanal goods.
It was endorsed by the famouse social media personality.
Sales jumped within contemporary conformist markets.
Together, we scale Contemporary Conformity.

Contemporary Conformist Tattoo aesthetics

Do Contemporary Conformists have tattz?

What’s the deal with Contemporary Conformists and tattoos? It seems like most ContempConformies would rather not have any ‘blemishes’ / permanent ties to a previous era on their skin, because they are trying to stay eternally contemporary. However, there does seem to be a prominent contingent of bros with Contemporary Conformist sleeve tattoos that can be covered up by long sleeve button down shirts.

Do Contemporary Conformists just need 2 ‘man up’ and get face tats to prove that they are ‘insane’?

Or do Contemporary Conformists not want to be confused as ‘dudes who are auto mechanics and like fast muscle cars’?

I also believe that non-white Contemporary Conformists can more seamlessly integrate ‘statement’ tattoos into their Contemporary Conformist look better than most whites. Whites who have tattoos are usually applied during the peak of their ‘youth culture’ phase in order to subconsciously ‘stay young forever.’ However, the Contemporary Conformist tattoo has been given more thought about ‘how the art on the body’ will evolve over time/stay contemporary even with an old, wrinkly body.

I have no tattz, therefor, I am not an expert in ‘the art of getting permanently inked.’ Please comment with more Contemporary Conformist tattoo theory.

We are just trying to validate our 3rd-5th tier American cities.

Contemporary Conformity still exists in 1st and 2nd tier American cities as a way to create populist-wave aesthetic for ppl with money/mainstreamers looking for ‘kewl’ artisanal places to spend their money. You know what, we might not be the biggest or the best. But something magical is happening here. Investors are watching, looking to revitalize parts of town.

You know what is happening?

Contemporary Conformity.

Artisanal values encourage local residents to support local businesses.
Artisanal values encourage local residents to ‘believe’ that their community is on the rise with a unique set of economic goals.
Artisanal values don’t have to scale, but if they scale, it is because the process was organic and every1 has great taste now.
We can’t afford opulence, therefore we will settle for artisanal.

I love my local artisans.

Are sweatshop slaves the ultimate artisans?

What’s the difference between artisan/artisanal/artsy/crafty?

Why do Contemporary Conformists value ‘artisanal’ so much?
Are they ‘raging against the machine’?
Is this a positive economic outcome?
Why are Contemporary Conformists fighting against existing scaled brands by trying to scale local/artisanal brands?
Are major brands manipulating mass markets by making things appear to be ‘more artisanal than they actually are’?

Are premium leather goods ‘totally’ Contemporary Conformist?
IS creating a video that romanticizes a Contemporary Conformist business the embodiment of the advertorial nature of the Contemporary Conformist media stream?
Do all national brands want to appear to consumers as being ‘more like this small business’?
Do you just want to buy tons of Bell & Oak leather goods now?
Were Cowboys contemporary conformists?

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A photo posted by Bell & Oak (@bellandoak) on Feb 15, 2015 at 8:39pm PST

Why do ppl wear jeans/denim?
After global warming, are jeans/denim irrational?
Is the Classic American look / Western rustic heritage look ‘over’?
Is having a baby still the ultimate small/limited batch artisanal process?
Is this video the ultimate Contemporary Conformist artisanally produced video?

Read more in the Contemporary Conformist series [Part 1] [Part 2] [Coffee]. Email me with ideas/examples/theories.

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